Players to watch on during FIFA World Cup

Shinji Okazaki, Japan
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest of all the games. Every country tries its best to reach the final level and final get the tag of ‘world champions.’ The FIFA world cup lays a great opportunity for individual players to make the world take notice. Its the same this year too. Here is a list of players who are more likely to make themselves known in the big game and turn out to be future football legends.

Alan Dzagoev, Russia:

In Euro 2012, Alan Dzagoev was clearly the best player even if the season was unkind to Russia. The CSKA Moscow playmaker scored three goals in Euro 2012, which is the same amount of goals scored as Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, Mario Gomez, and Mario Balotelli in the same tournament. The only difference is Dzagoev’s Russian team was eliminated at the group stage.

Shinji Okazaki, Japan:

The Japanese team has the talent and capability of beating any team on any given day. One player that will surely make the world take notice is Shinji Okazaki. He plays his club football for Mainz in the German Bundesliga and scores on a fairly regular basis. He averages about a goal every other game for Japan, which is by far the best strike rate of any other current forward from that country. Okazaki is also third on Japan’s all-time scoring list.

Fredy Guarin, Colombia:

If there is one thing that you need to know about the Colombian national team, it is probably Radamel Falcao scoring goals for fun. Sadly he suffered damage to his ACL and is out of the World Cup. And that is when Fredy Guarin entered. Guarin is extremely athletic and can cover a lot of ground. He also has a rocket of a shot and likes to let them fly from long range.

Joel Campbell, Costa Rica:

Often described as pesky, Joel Campbell is currently the forward for Costa Rica and is under contract with Arsenal FC in England. He is a player who runs everything down and fights for every loose ball. He is just 21 years old with quick feet makes him a nightmare for tall defenders to keep up with in open space.

Ross Barkley, England:

The 20 year old is a very creative midfield playmaker, which is very different from the majority of English “tough guy” midfielders. He recently scored a goal for Everton where he dribbled 60 yards, made space for his own shot, and scored. There is not another England midfielder who has the bravery and skill to do that

Vedad Ibisevic, Bosnia and Herzegovina:

He is the best known forward of the country. He is an old school “poacher”-type of forward who lurks in the penalty area and pounces on passes and loose balls and makes the opposition pay.

Ricardo Rodriguez, Switzerland:

The 21 year old is very important to the Swiss attack this summer with his forward runs from the left side of the defense. Rodriguez loves to get forward and put crosses into the box. The crosses of Rodriguez are accurate and find a teammate the majority of the time, which could mean trouble for Honduras and Ecuador.